Large Retailers In D.C. Write Letter To Mayor Gray Encouraging Veto Of Bill

7/17/2013 7:22 PM ET

Executives from six national retailers signed a letter to Washington, D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray, asking him to reject and veto the "living wage" bill that was passed by the D.C. Council last week.

The Washington Post reports that the letter was signed by executives from Home Depot, Target, AutoZone, Lowe's, Walgreens and Macy's - who all feel that the bill is "misguided" and "unfairly discriminatory" and saying it "does nothing to address the proposed goal of improving job quality and opportunity in the District."

"Arbitrary conditions that subject our stores to rules that other employers, including countless competitors, are not equally subjected to unfairly distort the marketplace and are cause for grave concern," wrote the executives in the letter.

While the minimum wage in Washington, D.C. is $8.25 an hour, the living wage bill calls for companies that reach corporate sales of $1 billion or more operating within the district in stores of at least 75,000 square feet to pay their workers wages and benefits of at least $12.50 an hour.

Wal-Mart, which has plans to open stores in the city limits, has said that if the bill is not vetoed, it will pull out of their plans to open more stores in the city.